Betting On Love (26 page)

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Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Betting On Love
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The ringing of James's phone woke him and Jade around eleven that night. Groggily, James rolled over and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“James, it's Serena.”
“How did you get my home number?” he asked.
“That's not important. Do you know where Jade is?”
“She's asleep.”
“Can you wake her up, please? It's important.” Serena's voice sounded desperate, and James felt compelled to wake Jade.
“It's Serena,” he said as he held the phone out to a confused-looking Jade.
“Yeah?” Jade said when she took the handset.
“I was talking to one of the editors at the
AJC
at dinner, and he said there is going to be a front-page story about Stephen's lawsuit against you in tomorrow's paper.”
“What?” Jade answered, bolting straight up in the bed. “How did ... Is there any way your editor friend can stop the story?”
“No,” Serena said. “I tried. I told him that he should at least get your side before running the story, and he said he spoke with your attorney, who said, ‘No comment.' Why didn't she just say something or have them call you? Do you know her mother is the executive editor of the paper? If she can't get that story killed, maybe you need a new attorney.”
“Calm down, Serena,” Jade said, then yawned. “Sometimes it's best to keep quiet.”
“You do realize how this is making you and us look?”
“Stephen and I are going to court, and we're going to handle this. I don't care what lies he's telling the media. But right now I'm going back to sleep, and maybe you ought to do the same.”
“Whatever,” Serena said. “When are you coming back to Atlanta to clean up this mess?”
“I'll be there in the morning, after I meet with Kenya.”
“All right,” Serena said. “And tell James I'm sorry that I called his home phone.”
“Okay,” Jade said, then handed the phone back to James.
“What's wrong?” he asked as he hung up the phone.
“Stephen went to the press with the lawsuit, and there's going to be a huge story in the
AJC
tomorrow.”
James uttered a bombastic curse and shook his head. “What does he hope to accomplish?”
Lying back in the bed and in James's arms, she shrugged. “Can we just deal with it tomorrow?” She planted a sweet kiss on his chest. “Let's go back to sleep.”
The next morning James and Jade got an early start heading to Atlanta. They stopped off for coffee and doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, and then it was full steam ahead.
“Too bad we couldn't wait for some of your mother's cinnamon buns,” she said as she crumpled half of her glazed doughnut in a napkin.
“You just want the icing,” James joked.
“Dripping all over you,” she replied, with a smile.
“Funny,” he said. “But you know I can arrange that.”
Jade smiled and curled up in the seat. James glanced at her as she closed her eyes, and smiled. He would do anything to protect Jade and their child. Stephen wasn't going to get away with trying to embarrass her, and James wasn't going to sit by idly and let her be hurt by his lies.
Whatever it takes to keep her safe, I'm going to do it,
he thought, fully focusing on the road.
CHAPTER 28
James and Jade arrived in Atlanta about 9:30. The first thing Jade did was make James stop at the first gas station that sold the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
She plopped fifty cents on the counter after picking up a copy of the paper, and there it was on the front page: RESTAURATEUR CLAIMS EX-LOVER OUT TO RUIN HIS BUSINESS.
“You mean to tell me there's no other news going on in Atlanta,” she mumbled as she read the story back in the car. It read like a fictional tome. According to the paper, Jade was a vindictive and scorned lover who had once worked for Stephen, and when the relationship was over, she'd used insider information to block his expansion attempt and sued him for a gift she'd given him.
That son of a bitch,
she thought as she balled up the paper.
“That bad?” James asked.
She nodded and squinted her eyes. “I just wish he would fall off the face of the earth.”
“So do I.”
Jade stopped short of asking him how they could make it happen. Instead, she just uncrumpled the paper and continued reading the story. Each paragraph made her anger grow like a wildfire.
“I can't believe this,” she said. “That ass claims that I'm suing him because our relationship ended with him finding his true soul mate. As if I give a damn about him and Miss Plastic. This is an embarrassment. I can't believe a reputable paper would've printed this nonsense.” Jade rolled the window down and tossed the paper out. “It's as if I just read the
National Enquirer
or something.”
“You know, littering is a crime,” James said. “Forget what he said in that paper. We know the truth, and after this court case, so will everyone else.”
“I hope Kenya can make this go away.”
“I bet she can. She's a hell of an attorney. And trust me, Stephen has no idea as to what he's stepped in.”
Jade smiled, imagining Stephen losing in court and her reputation being restored.
“Jade?” James said.
“Hmm?”
“I asked you if you wanted to head home first or go to my mom's bakery.”
“We can go to the bakery first. Maybe a few of your mom's treats will put me in a better mood.”
James grinned and shot her a seductive glance that told her he knew how to fix her attitude. She smacked him on the shoulder as she read his racy thoughts.
“What did I do?” he asked, with a smile.
“I know what you were thinking,” she said, and before she could say more, her cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Jade, it's Kenya. I'm so sorry about that story in the
AJC.
I have a good mind to sue them for libel, but my mother would kill me.”
“I'm in Atlanta now. This is getting out of hand,” Jade replied.
“I know. But we're going to win, because Stephen laid out his case in the press, and it doesn't match what he said in the suit. He's going to regret that story. So, do me a favor and avoid him at all costs.”
“You don't have to tell me twice,” Jade replied.
“Do me a favor and relay that message to James,” Kenya said knowingly.
Jade looked over at her man and smiled. “I'll let him know,” she said.
“Let me know what?” James asked when she'd placed her phone back in her pocket.
“To stay away from Stephen. Kenya's orders.”
James mumbled under his breath and then said, “Let's hope I don't accidentally on purpose run into him fist first.”
“James!” Jade exclaimed.
“Kidding, only kidding,” he said unconvincingly.
“Sure you are.” She shook her head. “Promise me that you're going to be cool.”
“All I can do is try,” he replied.
James pulled up to the bakery and was surprised to see a line of people standing at the entrance. “I wonder what's going on,” he said as he put the car in park.
“I don't know,” Jade said, “but can we bottle some of it and take it back to Charlotte when we open the restaurant?”
He laughed as they got out of the car. He pushed through the crowd to get to the door, and he pulled on it, finding that it was locked. He looked inside and saw his mother sitting at one of the tables, with her head down. James banged on the door, calling out his mother's name. Maryann turned and looked at the door. Slowly, she walked over to the entrance and unlocked the door. She ushered James and Jade in, then told the other patrons that the bakery was closed until further notice.
“Ma, what's going on?” James asked after she'd relocked the door.
“Stephen Carter purchased this building,” Maryann said. Then she walked behind the counter and handed James the letter she'd received from Stephen's attorney. “He's shutting me down.”
James read the letter and his blood boiled. “How in the hell did this happen?”
“The owners of the building wanted to make some quick cash, and Stephen came by with an offer,” Maryann explained. “That little bastard.”
“I'm so sorry,” Jade said softly.
Maryann shook her head. “It's all right. I'm going to relocate my bakery, and Stephen can have this building. It's falling apart, anyway, and I hope when he walks in, it crumbles on his head.”
“No, Ma, I'm not going to stand for this,” James said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the attorney's number on the letterhead.
“Timothy Harrington's office. How may I help you?” the woman who answered the phone asked.
“I need to speak to Mr. Harrington about a letter he sent to my client on behalf of Stephen Carter,” James said.
“Hold on please.”
Seconds later Timothy Harrington was saying hello.
“Mr. Harrington, James Goings. What is this letter that you sent to Maryann Goings about the purchase of her bakery?”
“Well, if you read the letter, it says that the building was purchased and we want the premises cleared within thirty days. What's there to question?”
“The question is, how can you represent an asshole that would throw a woman out of her establishment and close down a neighborhood staple?” Anger peppered James's tone.
“Sir, I don't have to take this abuse from you,” Harrington said.
“But you're going to represent trash like Carter, and you don't think what he's doing is abuse?”
“Just hang up the phone, James,” Maryann said in an exasperated voice. “I don't feel like fighting with Stephen and his lawyer.”
James hung up and crossed over to his mother. “Mo and I will find you another place to open up a bakery right here in Sweet Auburn,” he said as he enveloped her in a hug.
Maryann sighed. “Good luck on that. Do you know how much real estate is going for around here these days? Since the buppies and yuppies started moving in, Sweet Auburn isn't what it used to be.”
“Those buppies and yuppies love your bakery,” James said, “and Stephen knows that.”
“He's jealous,” Jade said, “because no one is standing in line for his dried-out food and fake ambiance. This is so like him. I don't even know where he got the money to even buy this building. He was on the verge of bankruptcy when I loaned him money.”
James shook his head. “He must have found another fool to give him some money,” he spat.
Jade nodded in agreement. “I've been that fool,” she muttered.
“I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself and open these doors while I still can,” Maryann said as she wiped her hands against her thighs. “Stephen is going to get his.”
James didn't say a word as his mother turned the lights on in the bakery.
Jade walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“Hell no. I know why he's doing this, and he's not going to get away with it.”
“This is my fault,” Jade said.
“Not totally, but I told you this whole revenge thing wasn't worth it. This is the kind of shit I was talking about,” he responded.
Jade dropped her arm from around him. “What are we going to do?”
“I'm going to take care of Stephen, one way or another,” he said angrily, and then he stormed out of the bakery.
“Where is he going in such a hurry?” Maryann asked Jade.
“I think something bad is going to happen,” Jade replied as she pulled out her cell phone and called Maurice.
 
 
James got into his car and headed to Stephen's restaurant. He wanted answers and he wanted blood. He double-parked his car in front of Stephen's building, not caring about the citation that he was sure to get if parking enforcement came by, and he hopped out, then stormed into the restaurant, which had just opened for lunch.
“Sir, how may I help you?” the hostess asked.
“Get Stephen out here right now,” James bellowed.
“Do you have an appointment?”
James pushed past her and headed for the rear of the restaurant. He found Stephen's office and burst through the door. Stephen, who was sitting at his desk, on the phone, dropped the receiver and looked up at James, who was standing over him with his fist reared back. Before Stephen could react, James had clocked him in the face, knocking him out of his chair.
“You slimy son of a bitch! How dare you involve my mother in your bullshit!” James pounded away on him, unleashing a string of curses, which vibrated throughout the restaurant. Stephen was helpless to defend himself as his mouth filled with blood. James pulled back from him when Stephen's body went limp. “Get up, bastard!” he demanded.
Stephen didn't move immediately. Slowly, he tried to rise to his feet, holding on to the edge of his desk. He spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at James. “You're going to jail.” He attempted to pick up the phone and dial 911, but James slapped the phone from his hands.
“You and Jade can fight all you want, but when you involve my mother, you have to deal with me.”
“To hell with Jade and your mother. You wanted to get in the fight. Now deal with the consequences,” Stephen said through labored breaths.
James rushed him and grabbed him by the collar. “Check this out, bastard,” he bellowed. “You're going to find my mother a new location for her bakery, or I'm going to break every bone in your damned body.” He pushed Stephen into his chair and glared at him. “You have twenty-four hours.”
“Do you think you're in any position to dictate anything to me?” Stephen coughed and spat blood into a handkerchief.
“Do you think I'm playing with you?” James asked.
“How effective do you think you're going to be from jail?”
“Twenty-four hours, or you'd better press charges and hope the Atlanta police can find me.”
A security officer walked into the office. “Mr. Carter, is everything all right?”
James pushed past the rent-a-cop and headed out the door. Getting into his car, he headed back to the Sweet Auburn Bakery. He didn't notice that he had bloodstains on his shirt and his hands were swollen. The moment he walked into the bakery, Jade and Maryann rushed toward him.
“Where have you been and what happened?” they asked in concert.
Jade grabbed his hands and looked at the blood on his shirt. “James,” she said.
“I lost my cool, but everything is fine,” he said, shaking out of her grasp.
“James, you're not doing me any favors by fighting with Stephen,” Mar yann said. “I know that you and this man don't get along, but this isn't how we're going to handle this thing.”
He looked down at his hands and the blood on his shirt. “All right. I messed up,” James said.
“You're damned right you did,” Maryann said. “Beating that man isn't going to change a thing. Go clean yourself up.” She stalked away from him.
Jade shook her head and hid her tears from James. His anger was scaring her, and she knew the only thing she could do to make things better was to drop her lawsuit against Stephen and try to end this war.
“Jade,” Maryann said. “I hope you're not too put off by my son's behavior. He's always been very protective of me, and it has a lot to do with the hell his father put me through when he was growing up. James is highly protective of the people he loves.”
“I know,” Jade said quietly.
“But I don't condone violence. We've had enough of that in our lifetime,” Maryann said. “I pray this thing doesn't get out of hand. Why is Stephen even doing this?”

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